Parker's donates $20,000 to district schools

BEAUFORT – A local convenience store company today donated $20,000 to Beaufort County schools as part of an ongoing promotion at its outlets.

Parker’s, which operates 48 convenience stores in Georgia and South Carolina, said the proceeds came from its “Fueling the Community” program. That promotion gives one cent of every gallon of gas sold on the first Wednesday of each month to local schools.

Some of the Parker’s donation goes to support the school district’s annual “Support Person of the Year” recognition program, which honors school nurses, social workers, bookkeepers, office managers, teacher assistants, school secretaries, and technology and data specialists. Other funds go to specific schools designated by Parker’s “Pump Pal Club” customers when they purchase their gasoline on the first Wednesday of each month.

"At Parker's, we believe education has the power to transform lives," said President and CEO Greg Parker. "We are grateful to the teachers who work hard every day to educate students throughout Beaufort County and are delighted to honor and support their efforts."

Parker’s launched its charitable initiative in 2011 and has donated money to public and private schools in every community where Parker’s does business.

Superintendent Jeff Moss accepted the donation on behalf of the school district.

“This is a terrific partnership, and it’s constantly growing because as Parker’s adds new stores, they increase their support for schools,” Moss said.

Parker’s has been ranked on Inc.’s elite list of the top 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. for four consecutive years and has opened 11 new stores over the past 14 months. Parker has been honored by Convenience Store News as the Tech Executive of the Year and by the Savannah Chamber of Commerce as the Entrepreneur of the Year.